The Republican journal., 1887-10-27
MARY JAMES TRAVELS,
WHAT SHE AND DICkEY THINK OF
LOW LYING HOLLAND,
The Appalling Delight There Taken in
Cleanlincss--A Wctlding-Strcct Cars in
Observation-Disclosures, the Venice of tho

globe. There are dykes and dams and canals
everywhere in Holland, ard the water privi-
leges are something unique. The custom of
wearing those great wooden shoes affected
here, think, grew out of the desire of the
people to have with them always something
which might be instantly converted into life
preservers i'll case of expected emergency.
we have given a week or more to Amster-
dam, the Hague Rotterdam and excursions
along the waterways, and more interesting
country geographically and ethnographi-
cally we have not seen in Europe. The cos
tunes and language are especially noticeable,
and raw Dutch family, in town for holi-
day, decked out in balloon trousers, gold
mounted head dresses and cumbersome
wooden shoes is q sight to make the angels
smile and draw crowd equal to circus.
The chief custom is cleanliness, and the
first morning walk we took in Amsterdam, 1
think, we saw 10000 housemaids in light blue
calico dresses and white caps out in front of
thor respective habitations, shaking carpets
and beating rugs and door mats They are
strong and active, and they jerk strip Of
carpet till it pops like firecraclser. Tho
women are house cleaning seven days in tho
week. and the men have weary and har-
assed kind of complexion, which cxcites
the sympathy of all beholders. Yet matri-
mony seems to be not unpopular in Holland,
and it is one of the most thickly populated
districts of the world
by the way, wo went to wedding one day
IN Amsterdam they always do their marry
ing on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which was
quite swell. 1t took place in Catholic
church, and was similar to all other weddings
have attended, except that the tcacoilsto
up not one collection, but two | never hear!
OF collection being taken up at church
wedding before, but | suppose it was for tho
benefit OF the sufferers. and l certainly do
not br%rndgc the amount of my contributions
which was one Dutch cent, ard would have
been two, only the deacon did not come to
me with the basket on the first round
want to mako a few remarks ON street
cars III Europe. 1t has always been t. hobby
OF minc to see our cars painted in black and
GIT, as some OF our carriages are, but the
Bobby has never been realized, and blues, and
greens, and ycliows, and dirty whites still
"ilclni my eyes at home; but in Amsterdam
found what had been looking for, and her
street ears, on some lines, arc things of
beauty. Nothing | ever sew in America
compares with them, and nothing ever will
until some woman of taste is mado the con
'ioii9 syn ~ vi 't!i american SlItct car liIic
Will remark here that | am open to engage
mont NJ a good salary and a small per cent.
commission.
Everywhere in Europe, l believe, the
street car system is better than in America:
rates are lower for short distances, the horses
are seldom mules, the ear drivers and con
''ii'l"iH Wear tasteful and clean uniforms,
every passenger can have a seat, the comfort
f,t L..
al.i the ears make good time. In Lcipsi. |
1"dnt! Tie system almost perfect for comfort
and safety. Passengers cannot get on or of
except Oh the opposite side from an approach
ing car; the brake IN the drivers hand is
lifted with bell, which he rings to warn
pedestrians AT crossings, and as Il warning 1T
every corner turning into another street; in
every square there is "Haltcstellc," where
the cars sto., to load OF unload, and at
various intervals comfortable shelter house;
are provided for waiting passengers I don't
say we don't have any~nf this in America.
huf where We do it is the exception. If it
Were common | presume car stock would
only be worth 300 cent. Oh the dollar instead
of $40 or 400 as it now is.
Amsterdam is the wcttcst town | over got
into. | believe they call it the s'Venicc of
the north, but unlike Venice, it has not only
wet sea around it, but a wet sky above it,
IL ranc't all the time VIC were there, and
there is a continual boom in tho umbrella
business. L am informed by Dicley, who
reads guide books and meteorological reports,
that the only year il! which it does not rain
$50 days there is leap year on which occasion
the record is 366. This statement I do not
vouch for.
There are 800 bridges in tho city Though
Venice has :2o, which enables a person to get
III out OF the wet, under new one. I heard
no complaint of monotony in this respect.
Another one of my idols is dashed to earth.
have been looking everywhere for the man
the English speaking traveller unsuccess-
1ully accosts in every known tongue except
his own, and tho traveller finally says, do
you speak Englishs' and tho man says, ''Of
course do" and the traveller says, "Well.
Why in thunder didn't you say so at first9
| say have been looking for that man every
where with incessant failure, and don't be-
ievc he exists. At least he doesn't exist to
person of ordinary intelligence and expert
ence.
Tho person docs exist, though, who is con
stantly reminding you that this thing and
that thing and the other thing isn't anything
like it is in America, and 1--WE do better than
that in tho States, and kindred filings at
European manners customs and effects.
don't like that kind, and my brief expert
encc over hero has taught me that ''pcoplc
who think they know everything sometimes
don't know nothing occasionally and that
thero is yet vast deal Of untaught, every
day wisdom in Europe for tho future profit IF
Il youngster nation. AT the Same timo l
patriotically announce that l wouldn't give
Il shovelful of United States dirt for the en-
tire continent Of Europe for my own per
sonal use and pleasure
We stopped in tho Hague to sec what kind
of q capital Holland had, and i'll point of
quiet, shady beauty we found it superior to
any VIC have seen; but it is not Dutch town
i'll appearance, which fact doesn't interfere
at all with the standard of the beautiful.
have been looking for pretty Dutch
woman, but without success. They are built
on the English plan physically, but they
have a charm that tho English have not, and
that is an informal frankness, which is Won
dcrfully taking with tho mcn 1 have been
walking several times with an American,
and almost invariably the women VIC meet,
old and young, rich and poor, look at him in
q pleasant way and give him smile that is
bowildcring i'll its innocence and cuteneSs.
When we went among tho house maids,
shaking their carpets on the streets, they not
only smiled, but stopped and nodded and ono
threw him q kiss from the end of the gridiron
looking, wicker work carpet beaten she held